Stylus-holder for railway-train-order signals



(No Model.)

A. 1:". MILLS. STYLUS HOLDER FOR RAILWAY TRAIN ORDER SIGNALS.

Patented Dec. 16, 1890.

Vvwmb Gr.

UNITED STATES ATENT ABNER F. MILLS, OF CAMBRIDGE, IOlVA.

STYLUS-HOLDER FOR RAlLWAY-TRAIN-ORDER SIGNALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,707, dated December 16, 1890.

Application filed November 22, 1889. Serial No. 331.258, (No model.)

I0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABNER F. MILLS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Cambridge, in the county of Story and State of Iowa, have invented a Stylus- Holder for Railway-Train-Order Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to prevent a person from commencing to write an order before first turning the signal to stop the train that is to be governed by the order, and also to require the stylus to be replaced in the holder before the signal can be reversed and restored to its normal no-order position.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of a stylusholder and a bracket with a train-order-sigrial-operating rod or shaft, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the stylusholder open and a stylus held fast thereby in such a manner that it can be readily withdrawn for use. Fig. 2 is a top view showing the stylus-holder closed and connected with a signal-operating shaft and a bracket fixed to a wall, as required, to prevent access to the stylus until after the signal is adjusted to indicate that an approaching train is to stop for orders. Dotted lines indicate the curve of motion of one corn er of the stylus-holder when moved relative to the bracket by rotating the shaft K by means of a leverfixed to the shaft. Fig. 3 is an end view of the stylus-holder connected with the bracket fixed to the wall, as required, to prevent the hinged cover from be ing opened, and dotted lines indicate the position of the hinged cover when open, as required, to prevent the signal to be set for No orders before returning the stylus to its proper place in the holder.

A is the bottom, B the side wall, and C the triangular-shaped end, of a box adapted to inclose a stylus.

D is a cover hinged to the free edge of the bottom A in such a manner thatthefree edge of the cover can be closed against the top edge of the side wall B.

C is an end piece corresponding in size and shape with the end piece 0, formed on orfixed to the inside face of the hinged cover D in such a manner that when the cover is closed the end piece will come in contact with the inside face of the wall B and the top surface of the bottom A. A corner cut from the side wall B allows access with the fingers to the stylus, as required, to facilitate putting the stylus in the holder and also taking it out when the hinged cover is open. A notch in the end piece C allows the end to overlap the top edge of the reduced end of the side wall when the cover is closed. The box thus formed may be made of wood or metal and adapted in size to correspond with the length of the stylus to be inclosed therein.

F is a leaf-spring fixed to the bottom A, and bowed upward in such a manner that it will, in its normal condition, press against the bottom of a cleat G, fixed against the inside face of the wall B. The free end of the spring has a lateral extension H, that will, while the spring is in its normal free condition, be elevated above the bottom sufficiently to engage the hinged cover and prevent it from being closed before the spring is depressed by replacing the pencil.

J is a bracket that has a triangular-shaped opening in its front and free end corresponding in shape with the inclined side of the box when the hinged cover is closed. Afiange at the rear end of the bracket adapts it to be fixed against a wall in a building to project horizontally, as shown in Fig. 3.

K represents a rod or shaft that is designed to be connected with a signal outside of the wall in a common way and in such a manner that a half-revolution of the shaft will change the position of the signal from N 0 orders to Stop for orders, and vice versa.

Dotted lines in Fig.2 indicate a hand-lever connected with the shaft for operating the shaft and signal connected therewith. To this shaft I attach'the box by means of a loop L, that surrounds the shaft, and is then fixed to the box with screws or in any suitable way, so that the box will be carried by the shaft and thereby swing in and out of the notch in the free end of the fixed bracket J. The hinged cover will be locked by the contact of the bracket, the stylus inaccessible, and the signal set for N 0 orders, so thata reverse motion of the shaft must occur to set the signal, as required, to stop a train to receive orders.

In the practical use of my invention the bracket J is fixed to awall, and the triangularshaped box, composed of the parts A, B, C, and D, is fixed to the rotating post of a signal of common form. The spring F is compressed by means of the pencil, and the hinged section D closed and under the projecting portion of the bracket. When the post is rotated a quarter-revolution, as required, to operate a signal connected therewith,the box and its cover or hinged section D will be freed from the bracket is, and the pencil will be accessible and can be readily withdrawn, and the hinged section D cannot be closed until the pencil is replaced to compress the spring F, when said section D can be closed and the complete device restored to its normal and safe position in the bracket by the action of the operator in rotating the shaft K to thereby reversethe signal and restore it to its normal. no-order position.

I claim as my invention vA stylus-holder for train-ordersignals, consisting of a box composed of a bottom piece, a side wall fixed to one edge of thebottom to project vertically, a cover hinged to the other edge of the bottom to engage the top of the wall when closed, a cleat fixed to the inside of the wall, and a spring fixed under the cleat to press upward to engage a stylus, and provided with a lateral extension at its free end to engage the hinged cover, in combination with the rod or shaft of signal-operating mechanism, and a bracket having an opening adapted in shape to engage the hinged cover of the box, in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated. 7

ABNER F. MILLS.

Witnesses:

M. S. BECK, F. A. WARNER. 

